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french

/fɹɛnt͡ʃ/
verb

French meaning: a verb for cutting food into strips, with two other senses; FRENCH scores 14 points in Scrabble.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Verb 4 meanings

  1. To prepare food by cutting it into strips.

  2. To kiss (another person) while inserting one’s tongue into the other person's mouth.

  3. To kiss in this manner.

  4. To French trim; to stylishly expose bone by removing the fat and meat covering it (as done to a rack of lamb or bone-in rib-eye steak).

Definitions: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA) via Kaikki/Wiktextract

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English French, Frensch, Frensh, from Old English Frencisc (“of the Franks, Frankish, French”), from Franca (“a Frank”). Compare Old High German Franko (“a Frank”), akin to Old English franca (“javelin, spear”), from the use of such weapons by the Franks.

FRENCH is a familiar six-letter English word, but its word-game profile has a few quirks: it has no anagrams, four one-letter neighbors, and a 14-point tile total. Its dictionary definition includes a culinary verb sense, not just the familiar name for a language or people. The letters also share an -nch rhyme ending with words such as LUNCH and BENCH.

FRENCH at a glance

  • FRENCH has six letters and a 14-point base Scrabble value.
  • No anagrams are formed from the same six letters.
  • TRENCH, WRENCH, DRENCH, and FLENCH each differ by one letter.
  • Twelve rhymes share the -nch ending, including LUNCH, BENCH, and CRUNCH.
  • The word appears in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE sources.

French meaning and verb uses

As a verb, french can mean cutting food into strips. It can also mean trimming meat to expose bone, as with a rack of lamb. Wiktionary, via Kaikki/Wiktextract, gives these senses; the culinary use describes a literal action with food.

Those verb senses are less familiar than the everyday capitalized uses of French for a language or nationality. The word is marked common in English, but the definitions here describe verb uses. In a clue about cooking, the food-preparation sense is the one to consider; in a clue about a rack of lamb, look to the trimming sense.

What does FRENCH score, and which words neighbor it?

FRENCH scores 14 points before board bonuses: F is worth 4, H is worth 4, C is worth 3, and R, E, and N are worth 1 each. The two fours contribute eight points, leaving the C as the next-largest tile. That mix makes the score less obvious than the word’s familiar appearance suggests.

Its four one-letter neighbors are TRENCH, WRENCH, DRENCH, and FLENCH. The first three are familiar; FLENCH is the outlier. With zero anagrams, rearranging these six tiles gives no alternate word in the game lists; check your game's word list before playing.

Rhymes with french

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest
  • TRENCH11
  • WRENCH14
  • DRENCH12
  • FLENCH14

Questions people ask

Does FRENCH have any anagrams?
FRENCH has zero anagrams in the word-game lists used for this entry. Its six letters are F, R, E, N, C, and H; rearranging them does not produce another listed word. The word itself remains a playable option where your game's dictionary accepts it.
What are the one-letter changes from FRENCH?
TRENCH, WRENCH, DRENCH, and FLENCH are the four one-letter neighbors of FRENCH. Each keeps five of its six letters and changes one. FLENCH is the less familiar member of this group, so confirm it against the word list for your game.
Why does FRENCH score 14 points?
The F and H tiles are worth 4 points apiece, while C is worth 3 and R, E, and N are worth 1 each. Those tile values add to 14 before any board premiums. The high-value F and H account for most of the total.

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